1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a protective cover for a comforter comprising a bottom face and a top face, which form a flexible woven fabric envelope.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many covers as defined above are known in the state of the art. It is common practice to use comforter covers to keep comforters clean. By changing the cover, users can change the outer appearance such as the fabric, pattern, and color of a comforter as desired. To date, such covers have been in the form of a parallelepiped-shaped fabric sack with one open side through which the comforter is inserted. This open side can in some cases be closed by means of buttons, snaps, or other closure devices.
Problems are often encountered when attempting to insert the comforter into these types of covers. At present, to place the comforter in its cover, the user must insert it through one relatively narrow end and try to match up the corners of the cover to achieve as flat a surface as possible. This technique is time-consuming and frustrating because it is very difficult to position the comforter correctly. The problem is even greater for larger comforters.
Various solutions have been proposed to solve this problem. One solution is to create a central opening in the top face of the cover, as illustrated in particular in patent FR-A-2,799,358 as well as patents GB-A-2,303,062 and DE-A-2,829,873. In this type of cover, certain corners of the cover are still difficult to reach, so the user still wastes time attempting to position at least part of the corners of the comforter so that they match up with the corners of the cover. This operation also requires physical effort on the part of the user.
Another solution consists of making a comforter cover in the form of individual parts, one of which forms a top, and which can be fastened together and separated. This solution is illustrated in particular in document FR-A-2,649,877. In this case, the user wastes time positioning and matching up the top and bottom pieces. If snaps are used, the edges become pleated, especially the longitudinal edges, which results in an unattractive appearance. If zippers are used, the zippers must be matched up each time on all four sides to close the cover completely. Moreover, this type of comforter cover takes up more space when stored.